Apartment Trends Magazine August 2014 | Page 11

ASSOCIATION NEWS Greystar Acquires Riverstone - What’s Next? by Paul Bergeron, naa W THE NEW MANAGEMENT COMPANY NOW OVERSEES 70 COMMUNITIES REPRESENTING OVER 17,500 UNITS ith the goal of becoming better— not just bigger—the two largest property management companies joined forces in June when Greystar Real Estate Partners acquired Riverstone Residential Group from London-based CAS Capital Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Regis Group PLC, owned by Nick and Peter Gould. The company, which will continue under the name “Greystar,” comprises more than 385,000 apartment units nationwide, more than 17,500 locally, making it the biggest management company in Metro Denver, followed by Apartment Management Company at #2. Unofficially, that puts it at more than twice the size of the second-largest management company, Lincoln Property Company, with approximately 153,000 units, with Pinnacle third at 132,000, according to the 2014 NMHC Top 50 ranking of apartment management firms. Terms were not disclosed. The merger was first reported by MFE. Greystar Chairman and CEO Robert Faith says both companies will continue to operate in a “business-as-usual” fashion. “Executive leadership, job titles and lines of reporting will remain the same,” Faith says. “There are great people working at both companies. This deal enables both companies to bring it all together into one.” He says the companies have begun a “shared best practices process” and they will proceed with a slow and deliberate” transition. Nationally, the company’s new workforce now totals approximately 10,000 staff members. They 38 COMMUNITIES (METRO DENVER) 10,250 UNITS (METRO DENVER) were notified earlier this summer through a series of telephone conferences and meetings. Supervisors then passed the news down within their communities, accordingly, Faith says. Faith says the timing for the deal, which he says originated in December with conversations between he and the Goulds, is right. “All signs indicate to us that the multifamily sector is healthy and will remain that way for some time,” Faith says. “And when you get deeper and deeper into a positive real estate cycle, it becomes more and more difficult to find talented people. With this deal, we have done that. It will be the best of the best from both companies.” 10 Largest Management Companies (based on local unit count) Company Units 1. Greystar/Riverstone 17,631 2. Apartment Mgnt Consultants 10,140 3. Equity Residential 6,933 4. Bridge Property Mgmt 4,990 5. Echelon Property Group 4,585 6. Alliance Residential 4,332 7. JRK Residential Group 3,995 8. Simpson Property Group 3,875 9. Holland Partner Group 3,784 10. Fairfield Residential 3,664 www.aamdhq.org ‘THE BIG LEAP WE NEEDED’ Both companies have been through the acquisition process often. Riverstone Residential Group Chief Executive Officer Terry Da